ALEX LIFESON

Rush were the band that made me finally decide to become a musician and learn to play the guitar. Alex Lifeson was the guitarist that inspired me the most - within a year, I was playing songs like Anthem, Fly By Night, Farewell to Kings, The Spirit of Radio, etc from Rush's more notorious albums. It was an exciting moment when I learned a couple years later about the two Rush solo albums; Geddy Lee's My Favorite Headache, and this one, Alex Lifeson's Victor.

It does pain me to have to give this such a low rating, but it's not out of disrespect but rather a huge admiration for Alex's other work, which this does not compare to. However I have to honor that there are 3 very good tracks and one decent one among 7 other really terrible songs - Promise, Start Today, and I Am The Spirit, especially Start Today, are fantastic. Sending Out A Warning isn't bad either, and sounds like something that could have been on Roll the Bones.

The rest of this album are shades of unforgettable to awful, and sound as though Alex truly didn't care, as the opening song suggests. And that's fine - for a guitarist who managed to get his hands on a dozen masterpiece albums, more or less depending on who you ask, there's nothing to complain about there. But I won't be bugging my friends to listen to anything on here - well, except Start Today, which is a diamond in the rough here.

If anything, being able to give such a poor review to an artist like Alex Lifeson without coming away from it with any less feeling like he was one of the greatest guitarists of all time is a pretty impressive feat. You've earned this miss, Alex. Take care.

Right from the beginning of the album, the Rush sound is there. Don't Care has a nice, complex structure, that mixes up timing in 6, 7 and 8, giving it a more progressive sound than most Rush songs since the early 80s. Promise follows, with an even more Rushlike sound. Vocalist Edwin, however, tries to add a more contemporary alternative gruff vocal style to the pieces, but with Lifeson's guitar, it still sounds more like Rush than anything else.

Lifeson does branch away from the Rush parallels on a few songs, most notably Shut Up Shuttin' Up, a funky piece, that has two women (one of whom I believe is Lifeson's wife) prattling on about Lifeson and men in general, with guitar breaks interspersed. It's quite funny. Another departure is the spacy Victor, with a spoken story, that ends up as a religious parable.

So this album is good. It's better than some Rush albums, not as good as others. But it does have some nice prog (and a cameo from Les Claypool).

Victor is the first solo project emanating from the Rush stable, and it is a daring album. It's like the bubble of ideas that had been accumulating in Lifeson's head over the preceding years suddenly exploded onto this album. The disadvantage is that he ends up trying to do too many things at once.

But generally I'm not disappointed, not at all. In comparison to Rush, there's a strong influence from alternative rock and noise rock, there's even some industrial sounds. More often then not, all of those influences appear in one song, which makes listening to this album into some sort of "What influences do you hear?" quiz.

As an album it doesn't hold up all too well but there's a couple of great songs and lots of creative ideas which is greatly appreciated. I wouldn't really recommended it to Rush fans though, unless you liked Vapour Trails a lot.

Know going in that the sound of this album only rarely resembles anything produced by Rush. For the most part these are straight-forward hard rock tunes, heavy on volume but light on depth. The opener is a big, noisy, riff heavy rocker fans of Lifeson's would probably guess was recorded by someone much less ambitious. While not necessarily bad, it and is numerous cousins, like the driving "Promise" or "Big Dance" don't have much going for them beyond the novelty of hearing Lifeson play outside of his band. However, these songs do score points for me for having many layers in their production, with walls and walls of guitar sound (similar to "Vapor Trails" but with more textures).

Lifeson's playing is, of course, the star of the show, and he certainly delivers. There aren't any stand up and cheer solos or memorable melodies, but rather a fine mix of (noisy) effects, and solos. These are typically short and sweet, shining especially on the instrumental or atmospheric albums. "Shut Up Shuttin' Up" has some of Lifeson's finest jamming ever, and is a clear stand out track for me. The mellow, groovy riffing and crescendo in "At the End" dinstinguished itself nicely for its composition and artistic playing. The rest is pretty much Alex Lifeson by numbers, buried somewhere in clamourus hard rock.

The vocals and lyrics are, unfortunetly, one of my biggest strikes against this album. "Edwin" has an energetic voice but its timbre-- combined with Lifeson's simplistic lyrics-- fail to impress. He's loud, overpowering, and not especially engaging.

Undeniably fun for an occasional listen, but "Victor" would have benefitted more from Lifeson's instrumental prowess than his desire to make a hard rock album. I certainly recommend it to fellow RUSH fans, but it just doesn't have enough going on to make it strong enough to stand on its own without prior enjoyment of Lifeson's body of work.

Songwriting: 2 Instrumental Performances: 3 Lyrics/Vocals: 2 Style/Emotion/Enjoyability: 3

The DNA profile of this project/band is obvious. It is the guitar sound and much of the general sound of Rush. Alex is 1/3 and an important part of Rush's soundscape. That is proven beyond doubt on this album. This album is the sound of Rush with some added heavyness and experimentations. From funk and jazz kitsch to more grunge.

The result is not particular good. This album has some good songs (for example Promise). But it also have some experimentations for the sake of experimentations. This album kicks everywhere and is more an exploration of new territories than an album of songs. It is actually a typical debut album where a man who has been a part of a band for decades suddenly find himself alone and pretty lost. Listen to the first Robert Plant solo album and you get my picture. Alex Lifeson's first venture outside Rush follows excactly the same pattern. I should had been a head-shrink and put these two guys in a white room before they ventured anywhere near a recording studio....... Hahaha !!!! Anyway, the Victor album nosedives into a sea of experimentations and that is all I get out of this album. It is not my cup of tea, I am afraid. My favorite drink is Rush.

2.85 stars

If you want a basic picture of the sound, think of the typical Rush sound with heavy cross- pollenation with the alternative rock scene of the 90's (not that I'm an expert in the latter genre). Very many songs are guitar-heavy with basic song structures, yet contain quite a bit of unusual time signatures. It can be difficult to follow the metre of ''Don't Care''.

The vocalist is very capable, but there's nothing special about his voice. This is excepting the spoken passages by Lifeson and a few ladies plus the Lee-like vocals of ''Start Today''. Instrumentally, the album is quite solid; we get the stellar guitar performances, but that's to be expected from Lerxst. I'm not offended by anything with the possible exception of the bass that gets a tad too clanky in spots.

A few songs branch off from the alt-rock/Rush-rock thing. Songs like ''Mr. X'' and ''Shut Up, Shuttin' Up'' have very funky jazz qualities to them. ''Strip and Go Naked'' reminds me of Jethro Tull for some reason barring when the song goes heavy metal. The title track is a very dark, haunting piece that is likely to scare the wee out of any young kid. It's one of the better efforts of the album marred only by the lyrics which have very many cheap rhymes.

It can get too noisy, but there's enough variety here so that casual music listeners will always find something to grasp. For the average progster, this may be a little too heavy, but Rush fans should have no problem getting into the feel of VICTOR. I quite like the album, but not enough for an essential recommendation. It feels like it's missing something that I can't place my finger on.

This albums has a lot of points of interest... It's a real pleasure for every Rush's fan, with a lot of things in common with the Alex's motherband (both in sytle, and obviously in guitar sound...), and it's also very interesting for people who wants to hear first class experimental hard rock.

The Rush's style can be heard in songs like Promise (the riff could be in some of their last efforths...), I Am the Spirit... And specially in Start Today. If you want to hear how would have Rush sounded in the 90's with the 70's Geddy Lee's young voice, here you have an opportunity. Lisa Dalbello's singing on this song is really similar to the Geddy's one in albums like "Fly By Night" or "2112". And it's just spectacular! A very recommended track.

The other songs of the album are not bad at all... I specially enjoy the Lifeson's attempts to make guitar hero songs in he style of Joe Satriani or Steve Johnson in Mr. X, Strip and Go Naked (waht a name for a song...) and Shut Up Shuttin' Up. The more experimental songs can be also heard with pleasure, specially the funny title track and The Big Dance, with the help of Les Claypool.

Best Songs: Promise (that could be a 90's Rush song, and a good one...), Start Today (simply spectacualr, the best song of the album...), Mr. X (great instrumental song...) The Big Dance (splendid hard rock track with a great rythm...) and I Am The Spirit (I just LOVE the guitar solo...)

Conclusion: If you are a fan of Rush, or you are searching for a good prog / experimental hard rock album, then Victor is for you... It's full with good songs, proving what a great musician and composer Alex Lifeson is, and the collaborations make the album really interesting, specially the Les Claypool and Lisa Dalbello contributions. Maybe it's a bit difficult to get into the album... But after a few listenings, you'll notice that it has a lot to offer. Strongly recommended!

My rating: ***1/2

During Rush's 5 year hiatus after 1996 members Geddy and Alex both embarked on solo projects, both capture an element of Rush very well. Characterized by vicious solos and haunting spoken word this album is not everything you'd expect from the Rush jokester. There are moments of quirk, like the increadable instrumentals MR. X, SHUT UP SHUTTIN' UP, and STRIP AND GO NAKED, each sounds like a Rush song, but at the same time, not like a Rush song at all. Among the tracks given vocals the greatest standouts PROMISE and I AM THE SPIRIT are also given life by the Rushesque guitar. The opening riff to many of the tracks would have you believe you're listening to a missing Rush song. However, even with these great songs the best work on this album comes in the form of the title track, VICTOR. This brooding poem turned song is stupendously haunting, if you have the time to really listen to it word by word you'll know what I mean.

A well done album by an excellent artist. Recommended for Rush fans or anyone who wants to hear something very experimental. 3.5 stars.

The first song is called "I Don't Care" and it is a huge departure lyrically from a RUSH album. The words are crude in a sexual way, and I remember the flack he received on the RUSH web-site years ago about that track. This is a dark and heavy tune that instrumentally shines. A scorching guitar solo 3 minutes in. "Promise" is one of my favourites.This is an uptempo tune that reminds me instrumentally of RUSH. A screaming guitar solo 4 minutes in before we get back to the catchy melody. "Start Today" is amazing ! Lisa Dalbello is on vocals and she sounds so much like 70's Geddy with her screaming vocals, it's eerie. Instrumentally this sounds like 90's RUSH, so there is a nice blend of styles here. The rhythm section does an incredible job on this song. "Mr.X" along with the two previous songs are my favourites.This one is an instrumental that is far too short. Lifeson shines !

"At the End" has a monologue throughout reminding me of Robbie Robertson. Some vocals after 4 minutes to end the song. "Sending Out A Warning" is one I like a lot as drums and bass standout. "Shut Up Shuttin' Up" ouch ! I don't like this one at all. 2 women complaining about their boyfriend guitar players grows old really fast. I liked it during the first listen. Not funny at all.The guitar is really good though. "Strip And Go Naked" contrasts the tasteful guitar with the intense guitar passages. Great instrumental. "The Big Dance" features Les Claypool on bass of course, and he and the drummer dominate. "Victor" is sort of strange with this monologue throughout as synths, percussion and horns all provide the soundscape. Don't like it. "I Am the Spirit" is more like it ! Tempo and mood changes in this one are plentiful. Overall though an average tune.

I remember reading that Lifeson gave his hero Mr.Page this cd to have when they met for the first time, I wonder what he thought ? For me it's good but not essential by any means. Some of these songs I really like and want to listen to them over and over, while others I could care less if I ever heard them again.

As a side note, I had never heard of Edwin prior to Victor coming out, and after purchasing the two I Mother Earth albums with Edwin singing, it helped me to appreciate Victor more.

The first track, "Don't Care", emanates testosterone induced aggression. It sounds like it was written when Lifeson was frustrated or not in the best mood. The strong sexually charged lyrics reflect the basic male instinct. But Lifeson is known for being a clown, thus taking anything seriously by him could be foolish. Prog fans will certainly note the uncommon time signature. 8/10

"Promise", track two, can easily be a Rush song. It is very standard Lifeson from the CP and TFE era with a great hook. I believe the average Rush fan would be happy to hear it played at a Rush show, bit don't hold your breath. The song moves along with its upbeat rhythm. A break in the middle leads to a decent solo with some Lifeson experimentation that is refreshing and harkens back to solos of Lifeson's early days. If you have heard the Rush soundcheck with Billy Sheehan, I think you will hear some similarity. 9/10

Is that Geddy singing!?! Well, no, but the singer in track three, "Start Today", seems to try to sound like Geddy Lee, almost to the point of being annoying. Her name is Lisa Dalbello, a Canadian solo artist. The biggest issue with this song is that Lifeson must have had Zeppelin's "Four Sticks" on the brain. The intro riff is very close to Page's riff. 5/10

Arrive next, "Mr. X", an instrumental with some nice guitar layering. Another up tempo song, this song is very enjoyable but stops short at 2:22. It easily could have gone on for another two minutes. 7/10

Track five begins with a computer generated space rock backdrop. Written by both Lifeson and his son, "At The End" is a spoken word piece where Lifeson utters dark passages of a disturbed mind. He throws in random guitar speak between some of the lines. This is a very original piece, surprising in fact. 8/10

"Sending A Warning" is an outstanding track, with Edwin again on vocals. The music in the chorus is powerful. This song is one to tune the volume knob up on. Its a standard rock song with breaks for the guitar riff. 9/10

Get ready to laugh your a$$ off. Lifeson's true humor comes out here. Track seven, "Shut Up Shuttin' Up" is simply hilarious. The title, as you may recognize, is a famous line from Mugsy in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. The song does not have sung lyrics but rather Lifeson chose to record his wife and her girlfriend talking. The things they say will make you roll on the floor dying with laughter. Unfortunately, if Lifeson has to deal with this regularly, I can see why he named the song the way he did. You will have to listen to this track a few times or else you'll miss the excellent guitar work in the background. 10/10

The next instrumental introduced, "Strip and Go Naked" starts out with a jig feel. The guitar effects are pretty much stripped down, so I assume the song gets its title this way. Its listenable, but not too memorable. 7/10

"The Big Dance" is an aggressive song with a driving beat and the return of Edwin singing. His voice fits the song well and provides the rasp to mix the music. The lyrics reflect anger at some woman who may have come on to Lifeson. Surprise bass player on this track is Les Claypool, but the track sounds nothing like a Primus song. 7/10

Track ten, the album title track, is another Lifeson spoken word piece from W.H. Auden's short story of the same name. This track features a sequenced track overlayed with saxophone interludes played by Colleen Allen. There is no guitar on this track but it is entertaining. 8/10

The final track, "I Am The Spirit", is sung by Edwin in almost the same vein as the material he performs with I Mother Earth. This track is excellent. Lifeson finishes off the album on a strong note. It is very aggressive but breaks into a softer chorus that blends well with the over-all song.

If you are a Lifeson fan, this is a must have, because it is so different from Rush. It is a joy to hear what Lifeson can do as a soloist. If you are a Rush fan, don't expect Rush because it isn't. This is an artsy album at times and rocker other times. Overall, it gets a 8/10 from me.